Teenager admits murder of 13-year-old in Hjallerup
A now 18-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a 13-year-old girl in Hjallerup on 11 March.
The North Jutland Police write this in a press release.
The defendant's defender, Mette Grith Stage , also confirms to Nordjuyske that the 18-year-old pleads guilty to murder.
Quickly arrested
The 13-year-old girl was found seriously injured at the heating plant in Hjallerup around 10 p.m.
She was pronounced dead shortly after the arrival of the ambulance.
A short time later, the then 17-year-old man was arrested and the following day he was remanded in custody.
Just a few days before he turned 18.
Another 13-year-old girl was also briefly arrested, but was released shortly after, as, according to police investigations, she had nothing to do with the crime.
Admits murder - denies rape
During the constitutional hearing, the 18-year-old admitted violence resulting in death - but denied murder.
He now acknowledges this after discussing the case with Mette Grith Stage, who was not a defense attorney at the constitutional hearing.
- When you are produced in a constitutional hearing, you only have a short time to deal with the charge. Subsequently, we have discussed the case and when you go from violence with death to murder, and based on that we agree that it is an acknowledgment of murder, says Mette Grith Stage who calls the case terrible and tragic.
The 18-year-old was also charged with rape, and he continues to plead not guilty, according to the defense lawyer.
The defendant helped lead
The now accused and the killed girl had been in a relationship. On March 11, they had been to a youth club with several other friends.
When the 13-year-old left the youth club between 9 and 10 p.m., she was lost from her friends, who started looking for her.
The 18-year-old defendant himself helped look for the girl together with her friends and parents.
It was the girl's mother who called 112.
Comprehensive investigation
The trial must run at the Court in Hjørring, but it has not yet been scheduled.
It is special prosecutor Mette Bendix who will lead the case.
- Even though the defendant was charged immediately after the murder and the process was short in that respect, it required a lengthy and competitive investigation to establish the sequence of events, review witness statements and analyze the technical clues in the case. This is what the police are now aiming for, and the public prosecutor's office has now, based on the results of the investigation, filed charges in the case.
The defendant remains in custody.